The devastated family of Karina Menzies have been hit with fresh tragedy – just one day before the mum-of-three’s killer is set to be sentenced.

Matthew Tvrdon has admitted killing 31-year-old Karina when he knocked her down with his white van last October but has denied murdering her.

Instead, he has admitted her manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

He is expected to be sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court today after the prosecution indicated it would accept his pleas to 32 charges, including guilty pleas to the attempted murder of seven other people – including two children – and lesser charges against eight more people.

Now, in a further blow to a family already suffering the trauma of Karina’s death, her uncle, Colin Menzies, has died following a long illness.

Mr Menzies, a retired engineer who lived in the same Ely street as Karina’s sister Samantha, was said to be “devastated” by his niece’s death.

Karina Menzies

Karina’s brother, Craig Menzies, said his uncle had been in poor health since suffering a stroke and died in the early hours of this morning after being taken by ambulance to the University Hospital of Wales (UHW).

He said the 71-year-old grandfather was a quiet, friendly and “old-fashioned” man who worked for years as an engineer at a BMW garage in the city.

After suffering a stroke he was unable to leave his house and Samantha often did his shopping for him.

Craig said: “When we were younger he always used to come around a lot and chat to my dad.

“He was a good, quiet guy. He was friendly and he used to have a laugh.

“He used to be quite active but when he got in bad health he became housebound.”

With three children, Mark, Alison and Angela – all of whom have children themselves – Craig said Mr Menzies, who was divorced, was well loved and looked after.

A court sketch of Matthew Tvrdon

But he said he was “devastated” by Karina’s death, adding: “He was devastated like the rest of us.

“When he used to come around all of us were there so he saw her grow up just like he saw the rest of us grow up.

“He used to say he was glad my dad wasn’t around to see what happened. My dad, Bruce, died a few years ago and he used to say that if he was Karina’s dad he would have died of grief.”

Craig said it was Samantha who called an ambulance yesterday evening after she visited him at home to find him “slouching” in his chair and slurring his speech.

He died in UHW at 3.30am this morning.

At a hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on May 24, Tvrdon, 31, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Karina, the attempted murder of seven other people, grievous bodily harm against four others and attempted bodily harm against four more, as well as driving dangerously on roads that included Western Avenue, Cowbridge Road West, Grand Avenue, Penarth Road, Barry Road and those at the Capital Retail Park.